Clear aligner patent battle heats up again; Dr. DiTolla talks materials trends

Dear DrBicuspid Member,

Competition in the profitable U.S. clear aligner market continues to heat up. The latest development involves the ongoing patent battle between Align Technology and ClearCorrect.

Following a ruling this week by an International Trade Commission judge, Align Technology appears to have moved a step closer to excluding ClearCorrect from the U.S. clear aligner market. But ClearCorrect contends it has no intention of dropping out. Read more in this Cosmetics Community exclusive.

In other dental news, a unique periodontal treatment service in Oregon and Washington is on the verge of being shut down. Kaiser Permanente Northwest plans to cut periodontal hygienists from its dental care program "to enhance service delivery." But the union that represents the hygienists is fighting back. Click here to read more, or go to the Hygiene Community.

Meanwhile, over in the Restoratives Community, our new Restoratives Market Update series will look at how economic trends, patient preferences, and new materials and techniques are changing the practice of dentistry.

For the first installment, we spoke with Dr. Michael DiTolla, director of clinical education at Glidewell Laboratories, to learn which dental materials are on the decline, which are seeing increased use, and which are here to stay despite getting a bad rap.

Finally, in his ongoing examination of economic factors affecting U.S. dentistry, consultant Thomas Climo unravels the mysteries of how dental practice management firms are transferred in corporate versus noncorporate states.